A woman in a black swimsuit and gold jewellery sitting on red desert sand under a blue sky
Photograph by Slava Vladzimirska
 
WHAT WE FOUND
The Colosseum in Rome photographed in black and white, with visitors walking past its arches
The Roman Empire’s 190,000 Mile Network of Roads. Not All of Them Led to Rome
So everyone knows the saying ‘All roads lead to Rome’. Apparently they don’t, and the most connected stretch of road in all of Italy actually runs along the opposite coast, nowhere near Rome at all. Byzantium (modern day Istanbul) was far better connected than Rome itself. See the map. ›
An illustration of a long line of falling dominoes ending at the feet of a lone figure
Why You Should Try Living Without Free Will for Two Weeks
For two weeks, stop asking whose fault something is. Ask what caused it instead. An evolutionary biologist has spent years living as if free will doesn’t exist, and she’s asking us to try her experiment for two weeks. It all started with a parasite she caught studying primates. The free will trial. ›
 
MORE GOOD STUFF
An illustration of a row of older men at a pub bar staring suspiciously at a single pint while the barman looks on
Ultra Low Alcohol Beer: The Next Big Trend in Healthier Drinking
Somewhere between a proper pint and an alcohol free one sits a beer most of us have never tried. One brewer calls it the only gap left in beer, and some of America’s biggest names are now racing to fill it. Mid strength beers. ›
A row of surgical instruments laid out on grey, from a scalpel and forceps to robotic grippers
Robotic Surgeons That Will Help Save Lives on the Battlefield
The agency that helped give us the internet and the computer mouse now wants robots that can operate. DARPA has put up $3.5 million for machines that treat wounded soldiers where no surgeon can reach. If it works, the same technology could bring specialist surgery to remote villages and disaster zones with no hospital in reach. The good robots. ›
 
TOP SHELF
Welcome to Tinglewood, where the trees are always watching. Are hybrid grapes the future of American wine? How young chimpanzees develop distinct vocal accents that become stronger with age. Watch the moment the wreck of the Titanic is found in 1985. And the most charming small town in every U.S. state.
 
ONE TO FOLLOW
A city skyline at dusk with the atlasobscura profile and two post titles set over it
@atlasobscura
Fun account showcasing fascinating things from around the world.
 
LAST WORD
“The years teach much which the days never know.”
— RALPH WALDO EMERSON